1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to locking mechanisms for vehicle doors and shipping containers, and more particularly to a hinged security cover for a locking mechanism to protect the locking mechanism from vandalism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many cargo trucks and trailers, cargo train cars, and various other transport vehicles have a swing out door or doors that provide access to the transported items. The swing out doors are typically secured by an assembly that includes a closure mechanism to prevent the door or doors from opening inadvertently. A common closure mechanism is shown in FIG. 1 and includes a vertical cam rod that mounts to a door and is capable of displacement along its longitudinal axis. When the vertical cam rod is shifted vertically, a keeper on the vehicle frame receives the end of the vertical cam rod blocking the door from opening. The vertical cam rod includes a lever positioned along the length of the vertical cam rod so as to be aligned with a pair of brackets when the vertical cam rod is disposed within the keeper. By securing the lever between the brackets, the vertical cam rod is held within the keeper and the door is fixed in the closed position. The brackets are designed such that one or both of the brackets swivel about their mount to permit the lever to enter the space therebetween, and then the brackets may then be swivelled together and locked in a closed position to prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the vehicle. The brackets are formed with a hasp structure at their ends that includes a pair of holes aligned to be received by a padlock or other locking hardware (not shown) to secure the brackets about the captured lever. To secure the door, the user moves the vertical cam rod vertically into the keeper and then rotates the lever into position between the brackets. The brackets are then swivelled together and a padlock is passed through the hasp formed by the brackets, fixing the vertical position of the cam rod and preventing the door from opening. With the padlock removed, the brackets can be swivelled apart and the lever can be released and moved down to release the cam rod from the keeper and thus permit the swing out door to open. The foregoing arrangement is well established in the art, and is also used on shipping containers. The following discussion is applicable to both vehicle applications as well as shipping container applications.
The problem with the above described configuration and with any similar arrangements whereby a hasp and padlock are used in conjunction to prevent unwanted entry into a cargo area, is that the padlock security feature can be defeated in some cases by directly prying the hasp device off at its base with a crow bar or similar tool. By prying off the hasp, the lever can be freed without the key or combination to the padlock and non-authorized personnel can quickly access and raid the cargo contents. Accordingly, a simple, effective security feature is needed to resist the removal of the hasp of the prior art with a prying tool or the like.
The present invention provides a security cover for a hasp-lock combination that thwarts a would-be thief by denying access to the base of the hasp. The security cover comprises a rigid shell that pivots about a hinge member over the brackets that form the hasp. The distal portion of the hasp that carries the padlock projects through a window in the shell while the base is shielded by the shell. The shell preferably mates flush with a base plate that also seats the brackets forming the hasp to enclose the hasp. The shell preferably supports a cam lock to control the opening and closing of the shell and limits access to the hasp""s base. In conjunction with the cam lock, the base plate may include a raised extruded strip that forms a hook for retaining a rotating lock tab, precluding the shell from pivoting open when the lock is in the closed position.